Perpetual Rain
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: The rainfall that once plagued Juvia had disappeared when she'd met Gray, but it's started to return in short spells when she's at her most vulnerable. But is it really just a sign of Juvia's vulnerability, or is there much more at hand than she realizes?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. I know I have my newest NaLu, **_**Fueling the Fire**_**, going right now, as well as my GaLe multichaptered fic **_**Blood and Iron**_**, but I couldn't help it. I finally, finally got the idea for the Gruvia fic I've been desperately planning for **_**ages**_**.**

**So, here goes my fourth attempt at beginning **_**Perpetual Rain**_**.**

**Enjoy!**

***Note*: please read the author's note at the bottom. Thank you!**

* * *

Juvia Loxar had always been plagued by the rain. She didn't know why and after a while she didn't care to ask because no one knew. The hard, undeniable truth was that the rain simply _was_. It poured down upon her, drenching her clothes if she didn't carry an umbrella or a parasol. Her precious teru teru bozu doll was the only one that remained after everyone ran from the rain.

Loneliness was a burden of its own kind, and she knew it well. Juvia couldn't escape it because it was everywhere the rain fell. And when the rain fell, she was always in the middle. The wish for friends, though always secretly remaining in her heart, faded from her lips.

The rain was her only comfort…but it was no longer any comfort at all.

Juvia couldn't remember when the rain stopped being a comfort to her. She knew it had been a close companion that she didn't mind when she was younger. It was like a reflection of her loneliness, and she kind of liked that everyone could see it. Maybe, if they could see it, people would come to try to pull her out of the rain and make friends with her. But the days passed and turned to weeks, the weeks to months, and the months turned to long, painful years of being alone.

She didn't want to be alone.

It took a long time for the water mage to realize that she didn't want to be alone anymore. Her longtime friend, the rain, had become a ceaseless enemy—an enemy from which there could be no escape. Her teru teru bozu was becoming old and worn, frayed from how often the rain had drenched it. The weight of the water tore at Juvia, and she wanted an escape. She wanted someone to come find her and drag her from her loneliness.

Maybe she didn't know it, but she had wanted a guild all along.

When Phantom Lord took her on, and when she became a member of Element Four, she thought she'd finally found her home. Even if some of the jobs they took on didn't appeal to her too much, she did them anyway. They helped her to fit in and for that there was no complaint on her behalf.

It was there that she met Gajeel.

He was gruff, crude, rude, but in his own way he was gentle and kind. The red-eyed Gajeel Redfox became the first friend that Juva Loxar had made since before she could remember.

_Is this what happiness feels like?_ She wondered. When she was punished for making a mistake on a job, harshly, she still wondered, _this is the place that makes Juvia happiest, right? Juvia is truly happy here, for the first time, so she can't complain about this. It hurts…but otherwise Juvia is happy. She is._

A year in Phantom Lord and she finally had to stop denying it—the only thing here that made her happy was her friendship with Gajeel. He was the only one she could talk to. The other members of Element Four weren't her cup of tea. Everyone in the guild was far crueler than Juvia was, even Gajeel. They talked casually about things like killing the bandits on their last job. They claimed it was okay because the job called for 'dealing with them' or 'kill or capture'. Human life didn't seem to matter as much to them as it did to Juvia, who thought it was precious.

She, who was always alone, wanted gentle, caring human contact. She couldn't get that here.

Forever alone in her thoughts and opinions, the water mage continued her days of solitude. Gajeel could take a slight edge off of the loneliness, but somewhere along the lines it stopped being quite as comforting. He was still her best friend, but when she heard what he'd done to that one mage team from Fairy Tail, she was embarrassed to be his friend.

She was ashamed of herself when she assisted in the capture of Lucy Heartfilia.

Juvia wasn't one of the main people in charge of watching Lucy after they'd taken her to the Phantom Lord base. She and her fellow Element Four members went and patrolled in order to prevent anyone from this Fairy Tail guild entering to try to save the girl. Despite this, she heard stories. Her only friend injured the blonde heiress, and again the water mage felt ashamed of this guild. She knew Gajeel could show a different side, so why didn't he?

The conclusion formed shortly: Phantom Lord was to blame.

If she spent any more time here, would Juvia become so cold and insensitive as well? Was there anywhere that she could go, and take Gajeel with her, that would accept them and help them change back to what they once were? And more than that…could she even go back?

The changes were happening; Juvia could feel them. Already the thought of being harshly beaten for messing up on a job was almost normal—no, it _was_ normal—how else was one to be punished for botching the job? The idea of kidnapping people for the job wasn't so bad anymore…hadn't she done just that when helping to take Lucy Heartfilia captive from Fairy Tail? And more than all of that…what did anyone need friends for? She'd always been alone, and even here in Phantom Lord she remained alone. Did she really need anyone else? She'd made it this far on her own, so what was the rest of her miserable life?

But no…Juvia could no longer accept it. She saw the Fairy Tail mages ready to fight to the death for Lucy and she wondered, _Can I ever have something like that?_

The rain fell harder than ever before.

And then she met _him_.

She didn't know what it was about him, but he was frantic and determined and when they encountered each other, she didn't know what to do at first. It became clear rather quickly that he was there to find Lucy, and she had to fight him for that. And then she felt nothing—the familiarity of fighting under Master Jose's orders had become routine to her, and she saw little wrong with it. But…the things that this ice mage said in the midst of their battle got her thinking.

Juvia Loxar of Element Four…she was defeated that day. In the fight but also in her mind. But this man…this Gray Fullbuster, of Fairy Tail…he'd helped her to see much more clearly.

She could see more clearly because the rain was _gone_.

What was it about this person, and the rest of Fairy Tail, that started to intrigue her after that loss? After Jose was severely punished and Phantom Lord was disbanded, she still wondered about that mysterious mage.

For a while, Juvia just wandered around, pondering her options for the future. Once again, she was all alone in the world, but for the first time she was without the rain. She could still feel the potential for the rain, right on the edge of her magic, but it held in check. The water mage wanted to know why, or how, it had happened…and she decided that the ice mage who had made it cease was the easiest place to start.

At first, it was just curiosity about the end of the rain that caused her to follow him. And then it was the easy camaraderie she saw that he had with the Salamander and many others of their guild.

Eventually, Juvia joined that guild. Fairy Tail became her home. And if only a few trusted her to start with, she soon felt welcome there. And when she started to feel welcome, she realized that there was another out there who would make Fairy Tail feel even more like home to her. She sought out Gajeel and pleaded with him to talk to the Master of Fairy Tail. He said he'd think about it but never gave any indication of his true plans.

Even so, Gajeel soon joined Fairy Tail and then it was home. His relationship with everyone was rocky at first, especially because of all he'd done to Levy and her team, but slowly it started to smooth out. Sure, they had come from a guild that had caused Fairy Tail so much pain, but now they were part of that guild. And something Juvia was realizing a little at a time was that Fairy Tail was very forgiving. Sometimes it took a little time, but one of the first people to soften towards Gajeel was the one he'd harmed the most: Levy McGarden.

The rain stayed away. Juvia could still feel it, just on the edge as if waiting to douse her again when she least expected it, but for now she was happy. And Juvia knew this was true happiness for the first time.

In the beginning, her love confessions to Gray were just a little joke, if that could be believed. She thought that would get her into the guild more easily—she was changed by love at first sight. It seemed like the kind of thing that half of these people would buy, and it seemed to work. Master Makarov had seen right through her, but that was to be expected. At least he'd accepted both she and Gajeel into their midst. But slowly…slowly those joking confessions started to hold some meaning for the water mage.

Juvia wasn't sure when it had happened…but it had. She was really falling for the ice mage that seemed unable to keep his clothes on for any reason.

And it didn't surprise her as much as she thought it should have.

Gray was the one who stopped the rain; she had reason to care for him because of that. But it was also the little things. He was brash and rude but just like Gajeel, he had those sides that redeemed him. His kindness, thoughtfulness, and the fierce protectiveness over what he cared about made her fall just a little more. And it was strange that she could feel so much for one person when she'd never had anyone to care about in that way before now…but Juvia wouldn't change that even if she could.

Falling for him happened a lot slower than she let on, but it still happened nonetheless. The act turned into the truth and Juvia didn't know why it had escalated nor did she care.

As long as she could be near Gray, there was nothing wrong.

When Gray was threatened by Meredy on Terou Island during the exams, Juvia was beyond fury. Her Gray, threatened by this little brat who claimed that Gray had done something to harm Ultear…? It wouldn't do.

_Won't forgive…? _Juvia remembered saying slowly, in as menacing a voice as she could possibly muster. _That's my line_.

The sensory link—if she hurt that Meredy girl, it would hurt Gray too. And if Meredy hurt Juvia, it would go to Gray too. Juvia was already in pain, so she knew that Gray must be too. There was simply nothing she could do. She'd have to hurt him to save him, but she didn't want to. He'd saved her, somehow, but here the rain came again, drenching them. She didn't know what it was that caused it—was she that furious or was it the terrible confusion she was in that brought it to be?

Her confusion was too much, and Juvia was outmatched.

He saved her once again.

Really, was there nothing Gray couldn't do? He'd saved her from Phantom Lord and herself all in one go, and now he was there, saving her life. Juvia wouldn't ever be able to pay back the debt she owed to him. And she fell a little more in love.

Time passed on—seven years before they knew it, trapped on Tenrou Island. And upon waking, nothing had changed with any of them. They were more beloved by the guild members they'd left behind because it would hurt to lose them all again…but they all still felt the same. Gajeel perhaps was a little softer on Levy now, and Juvia thought the story of him rescuing her was really sweet—though she wouldn't _ever_ mention that to him.

And Juvia was still falling.

She no longer referred to Gray with any honorifics, two years after their return from Tenrou Island, and she'd slowed her confessions of love to him, but the nineteen year old woman still held firm. She started to believe that it really was love at first sight and she just hadn't realized it yet—why else would the rain have stopped? Or maybe it was because that was the moment when she first thought someone else cared about her.

But two years—technically nine—was a long time to wait, even for the most patient of women.

And so on nights like this, when the rain clouds covered the moon and the entire city was thrown into darkness penetrated only by the light coming from windows for from the magic streetlamps, her rain wouldn't be stopped either. Juvia had just woken from a dream full of her doubts and fears and remembrances of her solitude to find that she was soaked from head to toe and a small storm cloud roiled above her bed.

Juvia stared blankly up at it, then sighed and climbed out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and stepped into the tub to sit down. It would minimize the water damage to her new apartment, after all.

It was a long time to wait, she knew, and still Gray might never return her feelings. But Juvia wasn't willing to stop loving him—not yet. And she wasn't even sure she could if she tried.

The blue-haired water mage leaned her head back and sighed again, letting the water wash over her. Her light blue nightgown was already completely saturated and it wouldn't make any sense to change now that she was here. Her hair stuck to her cheeks and her neck, and her nightgown clung awkwardly in some places, but she wasn't upset. This didn't happen often, and it reminded her why she was happy to have joined Fairy Tail and met everyone in the first place. Especially Gray.

Fifteen minutes had passed but already the rain drew to an end and the water mage stretched a little. Sitting in the tub without the comforting warm bath water to soothe her muscles was rather uncomfortable, and if she didn't get into dry clothes soon and change her bedding, the entire room would smell musty in a few hours. So Juvia stood and stripped off her wet gown in the middle of the bathroom, then her undergarments, before grabbing a soft, fluffy towel from inside the cabinet and heading out into her room.

She could see the faint traces of dawn through her closed curtains, and she could still hear the steady _pitter-patter_ of the rain outside, but that was okay. It didn't rain on her every day anymore, so a little bit of rain didn't hurt her feelings any.

It was the start of a new day.

One more day in the life of Juvia Loxar, a water mage once plagued by never-ending rain but now by her unrequited love…but she was happy.

* * *

**So…it's a start, I guess. There's pretty much no dialogue which is why I'm cutting it off here. I wanted to get to at least 2500 words and I managed so that's going to be the first chapter. I actually had so many other attempts at a first chapter, and I'm considering editing one of them and making it a second or third chapter...we'll see.**

**PLEASE READ: I'm a college student, and I shouldn't have started this since I have my newest NaLu fic **_**Fueling the Fire**_** and my GaLe fic **_**Blood and Iron**_** both going right now…but I've wanted to write this for a long time. I have to warn you that updates may be **_**very few**_** and quite far between until at least May, and then I will have to get back into the writing spirit, which could take a few weeks.**

**Please be patient with me! Telling me to update soon does not help, all right?**

**Thanks so much for reading and I hope you liked the first chapter, even just a little.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I felt like confessing that I started this story with only a mid-point in mind and no idea of how I'm getting there…maybe this is a bad time to say it, though? Nevertheless, you need an update and I'm past due to oblige.**

**Here, may I introduce my lovely readers to **_**Perpetual Rain**_**'s second chapter?**

**I sincerely apologize for the shortness of the chapter.**

* * *

As Juvia stood in her room, clad in only her fluffy towel and staring at where the dawn cast dim, rain-shadowed light through her curtains, she felt content. She might not always be contented as she was now, but she wouldn't let that get her down. She had decided that years before, when she had finally been fully accepted into the grand scheme of things at Fairy Tail.

"This is just another day," Juvia said aloud, smiling softly and opening her wardrobe. "Just another day, and Juvia will make the most of it, just as she always does."

As she held her chosen outfit for the day in one hand, she made the abrupt decision to turn and head back to the bathroom. The rain sounded lighter now than at first, and she had a gut feeling it would let up soon, so in the meantime she'd take a nice, warm bath. This way, the chill left over from her personal rainstorm would be chased away, and she wouldn't have to deal with the rain outside pouring down on her.

Although she didn't let the rain bother her anymore, she knew it would still keep her spirits up better if she avoided it after one of her own storms had taken place. When she'd had her own personal raincloud hovering over her, she knew that she was in a weak place, and she didn't want to force herself. Not today.

It was the anniversary of her first encounter with Gray, and in just a few short weeks would be the anniversary of the day she joined Fairy Tail. Juvia was going to make the most of it. She would shine as brightly as she could for him because he had shone brightly for her when it mattered most. She didn't care that he may not pay her the attention she gave him. Juvia was well accustomed to the feeling of unrequited love, having lived with it for several years, and she was okay with that. She was content with what she had.

Perhaps she hadn't progressed very far with her beloved Gray Fullbuster—that much was certain—but she wouldn't let that get her down. As long as their friendship continued to grow closer and their bond continued to draw tighter around them, she would be fine. Because they had grown closer; there was no doubt about that. It wasn't unheard of for the two of them to go out on jobs without the rest of the team, like Lucy and Natsu did on occasion.

So Juvia soaked in her warm bath, letting the heat soothe her tensed muscles, as she considered the day ahead, and tomorrow, and the next day. The possibilities were endless, and she would see them through.

* * *

"Good morning, Juvia!" Mirajane Strauss, the lovely and effervescent Fairy Tail cover girl beamed as the water mage walked in. It was always somewhat comforting after one of her few personal storms, to walk in to such a cheerful personage greeting her.

"Good morning," the blue-haired woman responded gently, taking a spot on one of the stools at the bar. "Could Juvia get a glass of water when you're done?"

The eldest white-haired sibling was already pouring some sort of alcohol for Wakaba, and it was only about nine in the morning. Juvia was perfectly fine with waiting for her to finish that job first—after all, this was her _home_ and she'd become quite used to this sort of behavior, even as early as this. If they were in particularly good moods, Natsu and Gray would start at it in the next ten or fifteen minutes and there would be a brawl.

"No problem! I'll have it right away! Let me get Laki's orange juice first, then I'll be right there!"

"Take your time," Juvia smiled softly, "Juvia can wait."

Mira just laughed, a light, tinkling, bell-like sound, and handed to drink to Wakaba before reaching into the ice box—fully stocked by Gray—to pull out the morning's freshly squeezed orange juice. She carried the pitcher to where Laki sat and refilled the glass in front of her, replaced the orange juice, and proceeded to get Juvia som ice water.

"Your hair looks nice today, Juvia," a voice said from her left, and she turned to find the voluptuous blonde celestial mage grinning at her. "I like when you don't put your curls in."

"Juvia thanks you, Lucy," was the sheepish response as the water mage subconsciously twirled a wavy lock around her finger.

"No problem! It looks really good on you!"

Lucy Heartfilia took the stool next to Juvia then, asking Mira for one of the new cappuccinos that the barmaid had been experimenting with for a couple of weeks now. The blue-haired mage took a moment to examine her friend, the one she'd once called a _love rival_ so heatedly...before it became apparent that she was really just Gray's friend, as she'd insisted the whole time. Her attachment to the dense pink-haired dragonslayer grew slowly more obvious, even in its utter subtlety. And when Juvia had realized this, there was nothing to keep her from becoming closer to the blonde than she already had been.

The friendship between the two had changed vastly for the better, and Juvia felt she could boast that only Levy, Mira, and Erza were above her among Lucy's female friends. And that feeling was worth more than she could express.

Lucy started a small conversation and Juvia entered it happily, willingly. After the night of doubtfulness and restfulness that had plagued her, such frivolous conversation at Fairy Tail soothed her even more than that warm bath had soothed her muscles and aches.

The only thing that could have made the situation better was the brawl that Natsu and Gray started not even five minutes after Lucy sat down. Juvia didn't care that Erza's strawberry cake decorated the back of her head—not as much as she acted like she cared, anyway. What she cared for was the reason to join in unashamedly, sending her water magic indiscriminately at the two responsible.

Behind her as she advanced upon the two quarreling mages she heard Lucy let out an exasperated sigh, but she knew the blonde was used to it and liked the fights just as much as she herself did.

It didn't matter that Erza would come at all the brawlers with her swords flashing, because Juvia could just turn her body to water and avoid the biggest injuries that way. It didn't matter that everyone would soon be in on this instead of just the Titania, the Salamander, Gray, and Juvia as it was now. What mattered was this time that she could be close to all of her family.

And just then, Natsu dodged her water slicer and a soaking wet Gajeel looked up at her through his drooping hair. Were she a lesser mage, she would have felt fear at the piercing look in his red eyes and the smirk on his face, but as it was it excited the fighter's blood inside her. So as Gajeel came for the blue-haired woman, she tried her best to ignore the shirt that had just fallen at her feet—ignoring Gray's stripping habit, or at least blocking it out temporarily, had become easier with time, although she quite enjoyed looking when she thought no one would really notice.

"Juvia, duck!" someone said behind her and without a thought she did as she was told. The word _wall_ appeared in front of her and she turned to find the solid-script mage, Levy McGarden, beaming at her. "I'll distract him, you go play games with someone else!"

Gajeel was Juvia's best friend…but Levy was destined to be his mate. The two might not really realize it yet, but Juvia saw it and nodded to Levy.

"Juvia will leave him in your hands, then," she said, glancing around the guild to find her next target.

And this was Fairy Tail; this was the place she'd come to see as home.

* * *

Everyone was exhausted and the Master, as always, was furious. It was widely known that his fury when it came to the brawls was mostly faked, but it still made all of his 'children' feel guilty for upsetting him. So even though they were tired, those involved with wrecking the guild as well as those that remained neutral were found clearing up the wreckage and tidying back up. Laki was using her magic to repair the tables and chairs that had been broken or damaged, Erza was barking orders, Natsu and Gray and Gajeel were all reorganizing the tables that had been repaired, and Juvia, Lucy, Mira, and Levy were sweeping up the debris and mopping with a few of the others.

Now there was laughing. Everywhere, the guild members were goofing off and joking with each other even though, not even half an hour earlier, they had been throwing punches and magic at each other.

It was strange, to say the least, especially to any outsiders that had the fortune—or misfortune?—to enter the guild hall at the end of a fight to witness the cleanup stage. When they first walked in, they would wonder what had caused the rumored close-knit guild to start an all-out battle between members, but as the cleanup began and everyone was laughing or joking with one another, they would probably be confused. Juvia knew she had been when she first joined. But now it was all part of the fun and the attachment and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

The small glass of whisky that Mirajane produced for her after they finished the cleanup was well worth it, and even though she sipped slowly, the warmth of it going down soothed her.

"Hey, Juvia," a voice said as someone slid onto the stool beside her. She turned her attention to him and was only mildly surprised to find Gray sitting there, Mira starting to pour him a glass of the same whisky she'd given the water mage. "What do you say to going on another job this weekend? I'm low on cash, and isn't your rent due pretty soon?"

The blue-haired woman swirled what was left of her drink in a circle and said, "Juvia is fine on money, but she'll go to help."

The ice mage grinned at her and held his glass up. Without even asking, she lifted hers and clinked it against his before taking a drink. This was usually how this went between them…and it was a start. It really was, even more so than just joining the guild had been those few years past.

Sitting here with Gray beside her, just drinking like old pals, was why she was content. A part of her would always want more…but this was fine. For now, this was perfect.

But everyone knows that the days of content always come to an end.

* * *

**I apologize for the fact that this may seem like filler. I'm still trying to establish a baseline for the story. At this rate, though, the next chapter may have the beginning of the actual story. **

**Please be patient with me! I still have trouble writing Juvia's character out so this is giving me some problems.**

**ALSO, a few more announcements: I start my summer job tomorrow, May 15, 2013, and it will be ten hours a day, 4-5 days a week. It's decent pay, but drastically cuts down on writing time. I'll do my best, though. **

**AND the next thing: I have a writing forum that's rarely visited. I'm trying to do some tips for what to do and what not to do, as well as a few unprofessional how-tos. It's the Writing Dos and Don'ts forum created by me. You can PM me if you want more details!**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter probably would have been done earlier…but I had to shut down my laptop the hard way like, two weeks ago because it was being f;alksjd;fkajds;fjs;adfj;asdkfj;salkfj (sorry, I'm still angry) and I hadn't saved the half a chapter that I had…and it wasn't in my recoverable files. So…that whole 1500 words, gone. Along with the few ideas I had for the beginning of the chapter (since I already knew what to do with the end, I was taking a break from it for a bit…but now I've lost the beginning of the chapter that took me hours to come up with).**

**So...yeah. I'm angry at my laptop, angry at my lack of imagination, and most of all, angry with myself. I KNOW you should save and save often, but I rarely do it.**

**Anyway, here's to a chapter that I can hopefully make better than what I've lost!**

_**Perpetual Rain**_**, chapter three.**

* * *

Gray was on his fourth drink and only feeling the first traces of the alcohol's effect by the time he realized that he should talk to Juvia about the job they were going to go on. It was still three days away, since it was only Tuesday now, so he did have time, but he'd prefer to get the discussion out of the way beforehand.

"Hey, Juvia?" he questioned the blue-haired woman who had still been sitting beside him, partaking of the companionable silence which had fallen. He liked that she knew when they needed to talk and when it wasn't necessary—it was an ability that a lot of his fellow guild members woefully lacked.

"Yes?"

"We're not scheduled to leave for the job until Saturday morning," the ice mage said, rolling his shoulders. "The person who posted the bill said that they wanted to be off work to speak to us, so it had to be a weekend and all that shit."

Yup, the alcohol was starting to get to him a little. Gray had to focus a little harder on what words were coming out of his mouth than usual, especially if he didn't want to sound like an idiot…like Natsu.

"That makes sense," Juvia nodded, sipping lightly at the bottom quarter of her second glass. There was a slight flush to her cheeks that proved she was feeling a little of the whisky's effects, too. "What time?"

Gray was in the midst of a drink when asked, so there was a pause as he swallowed, but then he answered, "I've got tickets for the earliest train to head that way. The train leaves at six in the morning, and it's scheduled to arrive sometime around noon in Hisuen. There are eight stops along the way, otherwise it would only be a four and a half hour ride. That's still a long time…it's halfway across Fiore for Mavis' sake…"

He'd trailed off, almost mumbling to himself. The words had just kind of tumbled from his lips as if he was afraid the water mage would rescind her acceptance when she heard how long the trip was for such a simple task and such a low reward in jewels. He was too loose of tongue to be completely unaffected by his alcohol now, of that he was certain. Sometimes he hated how much he liked to drink.

The blue-haired woman's next words kind of surprised him.

"That's fine. Juvia can bring a book to read, since Levy's been lending them to her, and you can get more sleep. You'll probably be here until late the night before anyway, like usual."

She really knew him well, he realized. That wasn't just something she got from being a stalker for the first few months of her membership—no, it was something she was just naturally good at. Because she was fairly reserved much of the time, at least now that she was over her obsessive love confessions, she had plenty of time to observe. Another thing Gray found unique and interesting.

"I can bring the train tickets in tomorrow if you want to hold onto yours," he told her, to save face a little. Not that it would help.

"Just meet Juvia in front of the station at about ten minutes before six and you can hold onto the tickets. Juvia's not worried. Since Gray is not Natsu, you won't lose them beforehand," these words were said with confidence and a small smile directed at him before she sipped at her whisky again, swilling it idly around in the bottom of her glass. She was getting down to the last few dregs of her drink and had turned to stare at the contents thoughtfully. "Will it be a quick job, and we leave right after, or will it be overnight?"

"I've got a room with two beds booked in an inn called _The Dancing Days_," he acted as though the name was painful to say, and Juvia's light giggle rewarded him. "Just one night, and there's a divider if you're worried."

She nodded, waving Mira's offer of a new glass away. The white-haired woman shrugged and clunked the new glass down beside Gray's newly emptied fourth glass before taking the latter away. After another small sip, Juvia looked ready to speak again so the dark-haired man beside her reached toward the new glass to keep himself from spewing things that didn't need said. He had a bad habit of doing that when he was starting to get a little buzz.

"That sounds fine," she said softly. "And now Juvia must apologize. She didn't sleep very well and is getting tired, so she's afraid she'll have to leave you."

Gray shook his head, "No, no, it's fine! You need your rest! Better yet—rest early and often before we head off on our job! It's just finding a lost object, but you never know how long we might be looking. Could be a few minutes or almost a whole day."

The ice mage got an inquisitive look from the blue-haired woman and he knew he was kind of babbling. It was all just the _type_ of whisky—it was that damned flamebrain's favorite, so _of course_ Gray couldn't handle as much of it as he could of other drinks—and Mirajane knew that well. Knowing the guild's beloved Demon, she likely intended for him to let something weird slip out in a drunken stupor. And, also knowing her, that _something weird_ would be a confession of some sort to someone.

"Good night, then," Juvia said slowly after a few moments had passed. She had cast a glance at the glass in front of him and the nearly empty class in front of her. Almost as an afterthought to her curious glance, she picked her drink up and drained the last of it before standing up. "Juvia will probably see you tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Gray said quickly. "'Night, Juvia!"

After hearing Gray call that after her as she began to walk towards the door, those remaining in the guild began calling it after her. He watched as she raised her hand in acknowledgement and actually verbally told Lucy good night.

* * *

Juvia stood idly beside a bench in front of the train station, her bag on the cobblestones at her feet. She'd only just arrived, and a glance at the clock on the façade of the station showed that she was a few minutes early. She stretched her hands up towards the slowly brightening sky, working the muscles in her shoulders, letting a contented sigh escape her lips.

The water mage was very well rested, having left the guild early the night before in preparation for her job with Gray today. She felt good and had slept easy after involving herself in the three fights that had occurred at Fairy Tail in the course of the day, and the one the day before. The soreness in her muscles was a good kind of feeling, one she hadn't felt in a long time, and it wouldn't impede her in as simple a job as they'd be doing today.

After another few moments, she decided to take a seat on the bench and did so with a certain sort of dignity. Placing her hands behind her, she leaned back to look back up at the sky, admiring the fusion of various tints and shades of violet, pink, orange, and yellow as the sun rose behind the nearby mountains. The light glinted off the clock face and drew her attention momentarily to the time—Gray was supposed to be here in about three minutes—and then she returned her gaze to the sunrise. A stray cloud, white and wispy, floated across the view.

It was another good day already, the blue-haired woman thought to herself. The weather was a tiny bit chilly this morning but she could feel in the air that it would be nice later in the morning, and a beautiful sunrise greeted her as she sat in front of the train station, early, waiting for her partner in this job and long-time unrequited love. Juvia Loxar was extremely happy, though she always did her best to compose herself and hide some of her true feelings. And so she fell into pondering the numerous fortuitous circumstances that had led her to this moment, her gaze also falling to the ground.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the quick footsteps pounding on the cobbles and didn't notice him running until his shoes entered her line of sight.

Through ragged breaths, Gray managed to gasp out, "I'm…sorry…!"

Confused, Juvia cocked her head to the side ever so slightly. "What are you sorry for, Gray?"

"I was…running late!" His hands were on his knees as he worked on catching his breath. "I'm sorry I made you wait!"

Blinking stupidly for a moment, Juvia just watched him before glancing up at the clock. She couldn't help herself—laughter bubbled up and she tried to stifle it with her hand, to no avail.

"W-why are you laughing?!" he sounded indignant. His apology was sincere, the water mage knew that, but it was completely unnecessary.

"Juvia is sorry," she said once her brief fit had subsided. "It's just that we're not supposed to meet for another minute or so yet. Juvia just got here earlier, so you didn't make her wait."

It was Gray's turn to blink and he turned to look at the façade of the train station, eyes searching for the clock. After confirming what Juvia had said, he let out a somewhat relieved sigh and scratched the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

"Oh. I thought I was a lot later than that. I could barely pull myself outta bed because that flamebrain made me have a drinking contest with him last night. That bastard…"

"See?" the blue-haired woman stood and took her bag in hand. "Juvia told you that you'd be up late."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, hefting his bag more firmly over one shoulder. "Let's just see if we can board the train and get settled into our compartment for the ride."

Juvia's hand hid her small smile as her companion tried to hide his mild embarrassment from her. She had stalked him for a while, so he couldn't fool her, but the attempt was adorable…not that she would mention that to him. The blue-haired woman rather liked the relationship they had right now and didn't want to blow it for any reason whatsoever. Especially not one like telling him he looked 'adorable'.

And so she followed him into the station and subsequently right onto the train after the attendants took their ticket stubs. Soon after, Gray slid their compartment door open more roughly than absolutely necessary and stepped in. Juvia tread carefully after, sliding the door closed more gently than it had been opened. She placed her bag on the bench opposite Gray's and turned to grin at him.

"Juvia knows you must be tired," she said brightly, "so you should stretch out and get some sleep, Gray. Juvia wishes you a good rest this time!"

He looked taken aback, almost as if she was surprised she'd remember. But then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. She had, after all, predicted it at the same time she'd predicted he'd still be up late the night before anyway. After a few moments had passed, though, his slightly tensed shoulders relaxed and he chuckled softly.

"You know me well."

She refrained from reminding him that she _had _stalked him and had made it her business to know him. Juvia _did_ actually regret her criminal act and invasion of his privacy. It had been an immature thing of her to do and she desperately wanted to just forget it.

"Just sleep," she waved his comment off as flippantly as she could, smiling again as she took her seat and rummaged for the newest book that the solid-script mage had leant her.

"If you're sure, then," Gray said, somewhat reluctantly. It was nice that he felt bad for leaving her on her own for such a long train ride, really, but she was content just being in his presence. It didn't matter if he was asleep or not, or if he was even talking to her. She was better than she used to be, on that front.

"Juvia is sure," the water mage spoke with conviction in order to convince him. So he propped his bag as a pillow, took off the jacket he'd been wearing and used it as a substitute for a cover, and curled up on the bench opposite. He turned so that his back was to her and shifted for comfort and, in just a few more minutes, she could see that his breathing had slowed.

"Sleep well," she murmured softly as the train started to move. Gray didn't wake and she smiled to herself, opening her novel to where she had stopped reading last night before bed.

And thus, the six hour train ride began.

* * *

The job was simple—the lost object was the middle-aged woman's pet cat, which had wandered into the forest one day and was stuck up a tree. Literally stuck. The thing was so fat it couldn't wriggle free of the two branches it had tried to slip between. It had long fur that had tried to tangle with the bark and Juvia had to piss the cat off to get it free.

When she and Gray returned to their room in _The Dancing Days_, in which they had left their bags earlier, she had to immediately slip into the bathroom to clean the claw marks on her left cheek.

"Are you okay, Juvia?" Gray asked, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her disinfect the little wounds.

"Juvia is fine," she assured him, though the peroxide stung slightly. "But now she really does know better than to get a cat wet."

Yes. The water mage had known that cats supposedly didn't like water too much, but the only way that Gray could think to free him without pulling out any of his fur was to get it all wet. And so, before Gray even asked it of her or thought of something else, Juvia had let the equivalent of a gallon of water fall over the feline. She was gentle enough that it wouldn't harm him, but it still pissed him off. He had yowled his discomfort, leapt from the tree, landed on her shoulder, took a swipe at her face, and then he had hid in the roots of a giant tree.

Gray had coaxed him out and carried him back to his owner in the town outside the forest, explaining to the woman why he was wet while Juvia hung back, hiding the scratches with her hair. She hadn't wanted the woman to worry.

"Well," Gray let out a snort, most likely recalling the day's events just as she had done, "that's true. But we found the cat and got it back quickly. Now we can go out and get souvenirs, if you want, and eat a better dinner than just something quick before the inn's kitchens shut down for the night. As long as you take good care of those scratches they should go away quick enough, right?"

"Juvia's wound is not deep," she agreed, peering at it closely in the mirror before placing a square bandage over the three thin, red lines. "The scratches will heal in a couple of days."

"Good," the dark-haired man smiled at her. "Then let's go get food—I'm _starving_."

He stepped into the bathroom and hooked her wrist, pulling her from the room almost before she could even think to reply. And when she _did_ think to reply she just grinned and shook her head, knowing that words were unnecessary…and that she, too, was feeling a ravenous hunger in the pit of her stomach. It was probably because the breakfast served on the train had consisted only of two pieces of toast with jelly, the early lunch on the train was virtually inedible, and the person who had posted the job had been waiting for them at the train station to take them to the inn and then to the edge of the forest.

And so she followed Gray around, first to some seafood place for a dinner that was, for the relatively cheap price, actually the best she'd had in a while. After that, they _did_ go around looking for souvenirs. Hisuen was, after all, a famous town. The town that had forsaken it's old name—"Jade"—for something reminiscent of the Princess Hisui's name after her birth.

For the first time in a long time, Juvia was having a lot of fun.

* * *

Gray was standing by the window of their room in the inn, staring out as the sprinkle quickened into rain. He glanced behind him, catching the floor-to-ceiling divider that separated his half of the room from Juvia's. Part of him was wondering if she was sleeping or if the rain was keeping her awake, reminding her of her past.

While he was half turned, he caught the flash of lightning. There was something odd about it, but he couldn't tell what so he turned back to the window. He watched as lightning forked outside, and with a start he realized the problem.

The lightning had come from behind the curtain.

He turned around again, looking at the divider through the room. He listened carefully to the thunder outside and then realized there was more…_across the room_.

_What the hell…?_

The ice mage took four strides across the room and reached for the curtain before stopping—he didn't want to invade her privacy. For all he knew she might sleep naked, which would be embarrassing for both of them when she woke up. His fingers were touching the material, the coarseness under his fingers making him think…because it was wet.

He couldn't just stand there—he thought that her rain had stopped. _So why was it raining?_ In _their room_?

"Juvia?" he said, and when he got no answer, he raised his voice, "Juvia, I'm coming over!"

He'd said he would, so Gray took a fistful of damp curtain and yanked it aside.

When he saw the roiling storm cloud above her bed, sprinkling steadily, he took a quick step and looked at her. She was sleeping fitfully, quilt on the floor and sheets tangled around her legs and clinging wetly to her, like her deep blue nightgown. As he took it in a rumble of thunder from above her spurred him into action. Her personal sprinkle was growing heavier.

Three more strides and he could grab Juvia's shoulder—_has she lost just a little weight_?—and he did so, giving her quick shake and saying her name, loudly.

"Juvia!"

Her eyes snapped open and her hand flew up. The stinging cheek Gray received was worth it, because the rain clouds dispersed and the rain stopped. The blue-haired water mage blinked six or seven times, registered that her wrist had been taken by a hand bigger than hers, and then looked up to find his face.

"Gray…?"

"Just a minute," he told her, releasing her wrist. She started to sit up as he slid to his side of the room and into the bathroom to grab one of the ice-blue fluffy towels from the rack. In a matter of seconds he was back and Juvia was sitting on the edge of her bed, running her fingers through damp hair. He dropped the towel on her head and she looked up at him with heavy blue eyes. He couldn't look for long and started to dry her hair himself. "You need to get dried off or you'll catch cold, Juvia."

"Did…did Juvia wake you?" she asked sheepishly, turning her eyes down and just letting him dry her hair.

"It doesn't matter," he told her, "and even if it did, I was woken up by the storm outside about thirty minutes ago and wasn't able to go back to sleep."

Gray didn't know what he was doing. It was kind of unlike him, but he couldn't just leave her alone.

"Sorry," she still apologized, clasping her hands in her lap. Her knuckles were white.

The dark-haired mage stopped toweling and stooped to look her in the eyes. Her gaze found his, sheepishly and almost regretfully, and he held her there. "Juvia," his voice was firm, "_it's all right_."

"Juvia is still sorry," she murmured softly.

"What I'm more worried about," Gray scrubbed her head, a little playfully so that the ghost of a smile crossed the blue-haired woman's face, "is _why_."

He knew he didn't have to elaborate: he was asking why it had been raining on her, and the way her eyes turned down again told him she understood, too. The rain was a sign that she was vulnerable again, though, and he wanted to know why. Was she unhappy with Fairy Tail? Had he done something wrong? Were her memories of her days in Phantom Lord and before plaguing her?

It wasn't just something he wanted to know on a personal level. He _was_ worried about her and wanted to help, but part of it was because if Juvia wasn't happy, it would affect everyone. She was so much a part of the Fairy Tail family that if she was down, the aura of the whole guild would be a little duller. He wasn't sure she realized that yet, but she might have. She'd been showing a happy face for a long time…but how many days had she woken up to roiling clouds, thunder, and lightning over her bed, or drenched by her own personal rainstorm?

"Juvia…" he had to stay stooped to hear her as she reached up to pull the towel from his hands and pat her neck dry. "Juvia isn't sure why. She thought it had stopped a long time ago…but when everyone got back after the S-Class exams, she started to get rained on. Even though she's as happy as she's ever been, and content with her lot, sometimes it still rains. Juvia thought it was over…but then, after Tenrou Island, she had a nightmare about Acnologia coming. When she woke up, it was raining and Juvia didn't know what to do. _The rain is back_, she thought. She was terrified. _What if it never goes away_? she wondered. Juvia has more friends than ever and more fun than she thinks she deserves, but then it rains. It's as if Juvia can't get away from the rain no matter how hard she tries."

She met his gaze again, a pleading look in her eyes. _Understand me_, she seemed to be begging._ Help me_.

"Juvia is just…uneasy…" she turned her eyes to the side as Gray straightened. He watched her hands stop moving, the towel stilling on her lap.

"How…how many times has it happened since we got back after the S-Class exams?" Gray wanted to get to the bottom of this in whatever way he had to, so he'd ask her questions and pry into her personal feelings. He hoped she'd forgive him, since he was just worried about her.

"Counting this time, only five," she said softly, but she bit her lip.

"Only five…but…?"

"One of the other times was the night before you had asked Juvia to come on this job with you."

This news surprised Gray. If it had only rained on her _five times_ in the last two years, but _twice_ in one week…it didn't bode well. He didn't understand why, but he felt that it was kind of ominous. To have the rain plague her at such a time, and twice in one week to boot, just didn't seem right, nor did it seem fair. What was it that was making her so uneasy, and did it have something to do with the rain, or the rain with it?

"What…? So recently?" he said instead of saying what he'd been thinking.

She nodded, then said in a low voice, "It feels…it feels like something bad is going to happen. Juvia doesn't know why…but it makes her uneasy."

"Juvia…" he didn't know what to say and stopped, but the sound at the door cut him off as he opened his mouth to find something else to say. Instead, he wondered aloud, "Who could _that_ be at this time of night?"

It was almost midnight, and they had to be up fairly early for the eight o'clock train back.

"Mr. Fullbuster? Miss Loxar?" the tired voice of the innkeeper's fourteen year old daughter sounded. "There's an urgent visitor for you."

"You should get the door," Juvia said, continuing to dry off as the girl knocked again. She was mostly dry now, and though Gray was still worried for her, he did as she said and went to the door. Somehow, he was still wearing the tank top and pajama pants he'd worn to bed, and he was thankful for clothes…for once. It would be awkward for an innocent fourteen year old girl to have an exhibitionist open the door.

The dark-haired male shook his head to free himself of that train of thought and opened the door with a, "Yes?"

"_Gray!_"

The addressed mage stumbled backwards with the force of the little blue blur that smacked his chest at full speed. In a few seconds he recognized the shivering ball of fur as Happy and was exceedingly confused. Why would Happy be here unless Natsu was? And with that train of thought, the ice mage leaned around the door frame to look up and down the hall for the salmon-haired idiot. When he didn't spot hide nor hair of the offender he searched for, he looked at the girl with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, don't look at me," she grumbled, rubbing her sleep-laden eyes. "Dad just said there was a cat that wanted to see you. He's weird and blue and he flies, but you know him, right? You're mages, after all."

"Y-yeah…" Gray tried to fumble for something to say but couldn't.

"Yes, Happy is a friend," Juvia spoke up, nudging Gray out of the way. "Juvia apologizes for her appearance—she just got out of the shower. The cat is a friend of ours, and thank you for bringing him up. Juvia is sorry you had to be awakened for this."

"It's fine," she waved it off. "You know him, so I'm going back to bed. G'night, lady."

"Good night," Juvia bowed her head politely and closed the door when the girl was halfway down the hallway. Gray watched her stupidly, surprised at how well she'd handled the situation even when she'd been so vulnerable for the last ten minutes. It just proved that the blue-haired woman knew how to compose herself, and quickly, when it needed done. So maybe she _had_ just been good at acting like everything was okay…

"Gray! Juvia!"

The Exceed's tearful voice made both mages look down to him. Happy wasn't crying, but it was probably a close thing.

"What is it, Happy?"

The blue feline escaped Gray's arm and stood on Juvia's slightly damp bed. He was shaking and looked as though he'd nearly exhausted himself flying to them.

"I…You're…"

"Take a deep breath, Happy," Juvia knelt by the bed to be at his height. "Take your time."

"_I don't have time_!" he wailed, flailing his front paws about. "There's trouble and Master Makarov doesn't want to explain it all the way until everyone's there so Erza sent me here to get you and we have to go back _now_!"

"Trouble…?"

The two mages shared glances, and unbeknownst to them they shared the same thought.

_So Juvia was uneasy for a reason._

* * *

**This ended up a lot longer than I thought, and I still didn't get everything I wanted in. There are a few parts I fear I may have rambled in, and if it seems that way to you please tell me and tell me where. If it's where I thought I might have rambled, then I'll know. **

**The next chapter will most likely be shorter than this one, but it will be a while before I get to it.**

**I hope you liked this, and thank you so much for reading!**

_**NOTE: If you're a writing hopeful who needs a few tips or tricks, or a veteran who wants to impart your knowledge to others, please visit my Writing Dos and Don'ts forum! **_**The link can be found on my profile page.**


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